the steel story spec

CHEMISTRY OF MATERIALS RESOURCES (F334)

STORYLINE 4

THE STEEL STORY (**)

Storyline

An account of the production, properties and uses of steel, with reference to other metals. The chemical ideas in this module are:

• redox reactions;

• electrode potentials;

• d-block chemistry;

• colorimetry.

How Science Works

Aspects:

• devise procedures for acid–base and redox titrations;

• solve unstructured titration problems;

• issues in the recycling of iron.

.

Assumed knowledge•

redox (ES, AI);

• catalysis (DF, A, EP);

• colour (A, CD).

Learning Outcomes:

Formulae, equations and amount of substance

(a) use the concept of amount of substance to perform calculations involving:

molecular formulae, masses of reagents, percentage yields, volumes of gases, volumes of solutions of known concentrations, balanced chemical equations (synoptic);

(b) write and interpret balanced equations, including ionic, given the necessary information (synoptic);

(c) given the necessary information, describe and explain procedures for acid–base (synoptic) and redox titrations and carry out non-structured calculations based on the results;

Atomic structure

See under inorganic chemistry and the Periodic Table

Bonding and structure

(d) use and explain the term coordination number: draw and name the shapes of complexes with coordination numbers 4 (square planar and tetrahedral) and 6 (octahedral);

Redox

(e) given the necessary information, describe redox reactions of d-block elements (and main group elements – synoptic) in terms of electron transfer: assigning oxidation states (synoptic), using half-equations to represent the oxidation and reduction reactions (synoptic), combining halfequations to give the overall equation for the reaction, recognising the oxidising and reducing agents, defining oxidation and reduction in terms of loss and gain of electrons; use systematic nomenclature to name and interpret the names of inorganic compounds [ie copper(II) sulfide, lead(II) nitrate(V), potassium manganate(VII), not complex ions];

(f) recall and explain the procedure for carrying out a redox titration involving manganate(VII) ions;

(g) describe the construction of simple electrochemical cells involving: metal ion/metal half-cells, half-cells based on different oxidation states of the same element in aqueous solution with a platinum or other inert electrode, acidified if

necessary;

(h) explain and use the term standard electrode potential and understand how a standard electrode potential is measured using a hydrogen electrode (details of electrode not required); explain the action of an electrochemical cell in terms of half-equations and external electron flow;

(i) use standard electrode potentials…